The mind sees this forest better than the eye. The mind is not deceived by what
    merely shows. -- H. M. Tomlinson
 

Once on the banks of the Amazon, there lived a girl named Chimidyué. She dwelt with her
family and relatives in a big pavilion-house called a maloca.

While the boys of the maloca fished and hunted with the men, Chimidyué and the other girls
helped the women. They worked in the farm plots, gathered wild plants, prepared food, wove
hammocks, plaited baskets, and made pottery.

One day as Chimidyué was plaiting a basket, she looked up and saw a big morpho butterfly
hovering right in front of her. Sunlight danced on its shimmering blue wings.

"You are the most magical creature in the world," Chimidyué said dreamily. "I wish I could be
like you."

The butterfly dipped as if in answer, then flew toward the edge of the clearing.

Chimidyué set down her basket and started after it, imitating its lazy flight. Into the forest she
followed, swooping and circling and flapping her arms.

She played like this for a long time, until the butterfly passed between some vines and
disappeared. Suddenly Chimidyué realized she had gone too far into the forest. There was no
path, and the leaves of the tall trees hid the sun. She could not tell which way she had come.

"Mother! Father! Anyone!" she shouted. But no one came.

Chimidyué wandered about, hoping to find a path. After awhile she heard a tap-tap-tapping.
"Someone must be working in the forest," she said, and she followed the sound. But when she
got close, she saw it was just a woodpecker.

Chimidyué sighed. "If only you were human," she said, "you could show me the way home."

"Why would I have to be human?" asked the woodpecker indignantly. "I could show you just as I
am!"

"Oh, would you?" said Chimidyué hopefully.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" said the woodpecker. "You humans are so conceited, you think
everyone else is here to serve you. But in the forest, a woodpecker is just as important as a
human." And it flew off.

Feeling very anxious, Chimidyué walked farther. All at once she came upon a maloca, and
sitting within it was a woman weaving a hammock.

"Oh, grandmother!" cried Chimidyué joyfully, but with respect. "I'm so glad to find someone
here. I was afraid I would die in the forest!"

But just as she stepped into the maloca, the roof began to flap, and the maloca and the woman
together rose into the air. Then Chimidyué saw it was really a tinamou bird that had taken a
magical form. It flew to a branch above.

"Don't you 'grandmother' me!" screeched the bird. "How many of my people have your relatives
hunted and killed? How many have you cooked and eaten? Don't you dare ask for my help." And
it too flew away.

"The animals here all seem to hate me," said Chimidyué sadly. "But I can't help being a human!"

Chimidyué wandered on, feeling more and more hopeless, and hungry now as well. Suddenly, a
sorva fruit dropped to the ground. She picked it up and ate it greedily. Then another dropped
nearby.

Chimidyué looked up and saw why. A band of spider monkeys was feeding in the forest canopy
high above, and now and then one of their fruits would fall.

"I'll just follow the monkeys," Chimidyué told herself. "Then at least I won't starve." And for the
rest of that day she walked along beneath them, eating any fruit that dropped.

At nightfall Chimidyué saw the monkeys start to climb down, and she hid herself to watch. To
her amazement, as the monkeys reached the ground, each one changed to the form of a human.

Chimidyué could not help but gasp, and within a moment the monkey people had surrounded her.

"Why, it's Chimidyué!" said a monkey man with a friendly voice. "What are you doing here?"

The girl stammered, "I followed a butterfly into the forest, and I can't find my way home."

"You poor girl!" said a monkey woman. "Don't worry. We'll bring you home tomorrow."

"Oh, thank you!" cried Chimidyué. "But where will I stay tonight?"

"Why don't you come with us to the festival?" asked the monkey man. "We've been invited by the
lord of monkeys."

They soon arrived at a big maloca. When the monkey lord saw Chimidyué, he demanded,
"Human, why have you come uninvited?"

"We found her and brought her along," the monkey woman told him.

The monkey lord grunted and said nothing more. But he eyed the girl in a way that made her
shiver.

Many more monkey people had arrived, all in human form. Some wore wooden masks and
costumes of barkcloth. Others had designs painted on their faces with black genipa dye.
Everyone drank from gourds full of manioc beer.

Then some of the monkey people rose to begin the dance. With the monkey lord at their head,
they marched around the inside of the maloca, beating drums and shaking rattle sticks. Others
sang softly or played bone flutes.

Chimidyué watched it all in wonder. She told her friend, the monkey woman, "This is just like
the festivals of my own people!"

Late that night, when all had retired to their hammocks, Chimidyué was kept awake by the
snoring of the monkey lord. After awhile, something about it caught her ear. "That's strange," she
told herself. "It sounds almost like words."

The girl listened carefully and heard, "I will devour Chimidyué. I will devour Chimidyué."

"Grandfather!" she cried in terror.

"What? Who's that?" said the monkey lord, starting from his sleep.

"It's Chimidyué," said the girl. "You said in your sleep you would devour me!"

"How could I say that?" he demanded. "Monkeys don't eat people. No, that was just foolish talk
of this mouth of mine. Pay no attention!" He took a long swig of manioc beer and went back to
sleep.

Soon the girl heard again, "I will devour Chimidyué. I will devour Chimidyué." But this time the
snores were more like growls. Chimidyué looked over at the monkey lord's hammock. To her
horror, she saw not a human form, but a powerful animal with black spots.

The lord of monkeys was not a monkey at all. He was a jaguar!

Chimidyué's heart beat wildly. As quietly as she could, she slipped from her hammock and
grabbed a torch. Then she ran headlong through the night.

When Chimidyué stopped at last to rest, daylight had begun to filter through the forest canopy.
She sat down among the root buttresses of a kapok tree.

"How awful this forest is!" she said sorrowfully. "Nothing here makes any sense!"

"Are you sure?" asked a tiny voice.

Chimidyué looked up. On a branch of the kapok was a morpho butterfly, the largest she had ever
seen. It waved at her with brilliant blue wings.

"Oh, grandmother," said Chimidyué, "nothing here is what it seems. Everything changes into
something else!"

"Dear Chimidyué," said the butterfly gently, "that is the way of the forest. Among your own
people, things change slowly and are mostly what they seem. But your human world is a tiny
one. All around it lies a much larger world, and you can't expect it to act the same."

"But if I can't understand the forest," said Chimidyué, "how will I ever get home?"

"I will lead you there myself," said the butterfly.

"Oh, grandmother, will you?" said Chimidyué.

"Certainly," said the butterfly. "Just follow me."

It wasn't long till they came to the banks of the Amazon. Then Chimidyué saw with astonishment
that her home was on the other side.

"I crossed the river without knowing it!" cried the girl. "But that's impossible!"

"Impossible?" said the butterfly.

"I mean," said Chimidyué, "I don't understand how it happened. But anyway, how can I ever
cross it again?"

"That's simple," said the morpho. "I'll change you to a butterfly." And it began to chant over and
over,

    Wings of blue, drinks the dew.
    Wings of blue, drinks the dew.
    Wings of blue, drinks the dew.

Chimidyué felt herself grow smaller, while her arms grew wide and thin. Soon she was
fluttering and hovering beside the other.

"I'm a butterfly!" she cried.

They started across the wide water, their wings glistening in the sun. "I feel so light and
graceful," said Chimidyué. "I wish this would never end."

Before long they reached the other bank, near Chimidyué's home. The instant she touched the
ground, she was changed back to human form.

"I will leave you here," said the butterfly. "Farewell, Chimidyué."

"Oh, grandmother," cried the girl, "take me with you. I want to be a butterfly forever!"

"That would not be right," said the butterfly. "You belong with your people, who love you and
care for you. But don't worry, Chimidyué. Now that you have been one of us, you will always
have something of the forest within you."

The girl waved as the butterfly flew off. "Goodbye, grandmother!"

Then Chimidyué turned home, with a heart that had wings of a butterfly.

A long time ago, in a village by a lake, there lived a great hunter who was invisible. He was
called the Hidden One. It was known that any young woman who could see him would become
his bride.

Many were the hopeful young women who visited his wigwam at the far end of the village. Each
was tested by the hunter's sister, who was called the Patient One. But years passed, and none
succeeded.

In the same village lived two sisters who had lost their mother. The younger sister had a good
heart, but the older one was jealous and cruel. While their father was out hunting, the older
sister would torment the younger one, holding her down and burning her arms and face with
sticks from the fire.

"Don't you dare tell our father," she would say, "or next time will be worse!"

When the father came home, he would ask in dismay, "Why is she burnt again?"

The older sister would answer, "The stupid, clumsy thing! She was playing with the fire, just
like you told her not to!"

The father would turn to the younger. "Is this true?"

But she only bit her lip and said nothing.

After awhile she had so many scars, she was called Little Scarface. She lost her long braids too,
when her sister singed them off. And she had to go barefoot and wear rags, for her sister would
not allow her any skins to make moccasins or new clothes.

Of course, the sister made up all different reasons to tell their father. And he would shake his
head in sorrow and disappointment.

One day, the older sister put on her finest clothes and many shiny strings of shell beads.

"Do you know what I'm doing?" she asked Little Scarface. "I'm going to marry the Hidden One.
Of course, that's something you could never dream of."

Little Scarface bowed her head.

When the older sister reached the wigwam at the edge of the village, she was greeted by the
sister of the hunter.

"You are welcome," said the Patient One. "My brother will return soon from the hunt. Come
help me prepare the evening meal."

The two of them worked awhile, until the sun was nearly down. Then the Patient One led the
young woman to the shore of the lake.

"My brother comes," the Patient One said, pointing along the shore. "Do you see him?"

The young woman saw no one, but she had decided to pretend. "Of course. There he is now!"

The eyes of the Patient One narrowed. "And what is his shoulder strap?"

"A strip of rawhide," said the young woman, thinking it a safe guess.

The Patient One frowned. "Let us return to the wigwam."

They had just finished making the meal when a deep voice said, "Greetings, my sister."

The young woman jumped in surprise. She stared at the entrance but saw no one.

"Greetings, my brother," replied the Patient One.

As the young woman watched with wide eyes, a moccasin appeared in mid-air and dropped to
the floor, followed by another. A moment later, bits of food were rising from a birch-bark tray
near the fire and vanishing into an invisible mouth.

The young woman turned to the Patient One. "When will our wedding take place?"

The Patient One turned to her, 

"my brother would marry a liar and a fool?"

The young woman ran crying from the wigwam.

All the next morning she stayed in bed, weeping and sobbing. Then Little Scarface came to her.

"Sister, let me have skins to make moccasins and new clothes. It is my turn to visit the Hidden
One."

"How dare you!" screamed the sister. She jumped up and slapped Little Scarface, knocking her
to the floor. "Are you so stupid to think you can do what I couldn't? Even if you saw him, do you
think he'd marry a pathetic thing like you?"

She sank back to the bed in tears.

Little Scarface sat huddled for a long time, listening to her sister howl and sob. Then she rose
and said again, "It is my turn to visit the Hidden One."

Her sister stopped crying and stared in amazement.

Little Scarface went to her father's chest and took out an old pair of moccasins. She put them on
her own small feet.

Then she went out into the woods. She chose a birch tree and carefully stripped off the bark in a
single sheet. From this she made a suit of clothes, which she put on in place of her rags.

Then she started back through the village.

"Look at Little Scarface!" yelled a boy. "She's dressed like a tree!"

"Hey, Little Scarface," a young man called, "are those moccasins big enough for you?"

"I don't believe it!" an old woman said. "She's on her way to the Hidden One!"

"Little Scarface," called a young woman, "did you burn yourself and cut off your hair to look
pretty for him?"

Ignoring their taunts and laughter, Little Scarface walked on till she reached the wigwam at the
village edge.

The Patient One regarded the young woman with surprise, but she told her, "You are welcome."

Little Scarface helped prepare the evening meal. When the sun was nearly down, the Patient One
led her to the lake.

"My brother comes," the Patient One told her. "Do you see him?"

Little Scarface gazed along the shore. "I'm not sure..."

Then her eyes lit in wonder. "Yes, I see him! But how can there be such a one?"

The Patient One looked at her curiously. "What is his shoulder strap?"

"His shoulder strap is...is the Rainbow!"

The Patient One's eyes grew wide. "And his bowstring?"

"His bowstring is...the Milky Way!"

The Patient One smiled. "Let us return."

When they reached the wigwam, the Patient One took the strange clothes off Little Scarface and
washed her with water from a special jar. The young woman's scars disappeared, leaving her
skin shining and smooth. A magic comb made the young woman's hair grow quickly to her waist,
ready for braiding.

Then the Patient One opened a chest and took out a beautiful wedding outfit. Little Scarface had
just put it on when a deep voice said, "Greetings, my sister."

Little Scarface turned to the entrance and stared at the magnificent young hunter. As their eyes
met, she saw the surprise in his.

"Greetings, my brother," said the Patient One. "You are discovered!"

The Hidden One walked over to Little Scarface and took her hands in his. "For years I have
waited to find a woman of pure heart and brave spirit. Only such a one could see me. And now
you shall be my bride."

So they were married. And from then on, Little Scarface had a new name -- the Lovely One. For
she too had been hidden, and now was hidden no more.

The old sea captain was not sure he had heard right. "What did you say, my Lady?"

The Lady stopped pacing about her parlor and looked at the captain in annoyance. Many were
the merchants rich and proud in this great port city of Stavoren. But this woman, called by
everyone "the Lady of Stavoren," was richest and proudest of them all.

"I said I want to hire you and your ship to bring me the most precious thing in the world."

"But what is the most precious thing?" asked the captain. "And where do I find it?"

"If I knew," said the Lady coldly, "I would already have obtained it. I ask you to discover and
bring it to me. I will make sure you have ample gold to buy it, whatever it turns out to be."

"Forgive me, my Lady," said the captain, "but I still don't understand."

The Lady sat facing him. "Look around you, Captain. Have you seen a more magnificent
mansion?"

"Never, my Lady."

"I spared no expense to build it, and I have filled it with the most costly items from all the ports
visited by my ships. Yet whatever I do, my rival merchants find a way to copy me.

"I must show them once and for all that I am their better. That is why you must bring me the most
precious thing in the world. I've chosen you for the job because it needs someone of your
experience. Of course, I will pay you handsomely."

"Thank you, my Lady. I will do my best."

"You had better, dear Captain. If you fail, you and your ship will never find work in Stavoren
again."

The next day, the captain sailed from Stavoren, in search of the most precious thing in the world.

Months passed. Everyone in Stavoren knew of the captain's quest. Wherever the Lady went, she
heard people guessing what the most precious thing would be.

"A pearl as big as an egg," said one.

"No, a magnificent gown," said another.

"No, a marvelous statue," said still another.

The Lady was delighted at the stir she was causing. "And how they will envy me," she said to
herself, "when they see what the captain brings!"

At long last, the captain's ship was sighted entering the harbor. The people of Stavoren streamed
to the dock. When the Lady arrived, dressed in her finest, they made way for her.

The captain's ship was just docking. "My Lady," he called, "I have brought what you desired!
The most precious thing in the world!"

"What is it, Captain?" called back the Lady, barely able to hold in her excitement.

"I visited many ports in many lands," said the captain. "I saw many wonderful things. None
could I say was the most precious of all. But at last, in the city of Danzig, I came across it. Then
I laughed at myself! I should have known it from the first!"

"But what is it?" said the Lady impatiently.

"Wheat!" cried the captain. "My ship is filled with wheat!"

"Wheat?" said the Lady. Her face grew white. Behind her, she heard murmurs from the crowd,
and laughing. "Did you say wheat?"

"Yes, my Lady," said the captain joyously. "What could be more precious, more valuable, than
wheat? Without our daily bread, what good are all the treasures of the world?"

The Lady was silent for a moment, listening to the whispers and snickers of the crowd. "And
this wheat is all mine, is it not? To do with as I like?"

"Of course, my Lady," said the captain.

"Then," said the Lady, "throw it into the harbor."

"What?" said the captain. Now his own face was white.

"Throw it into the harbor! Every grain of it!"

Murmurs of horror and approval both rose up behind her.

"My Lady," said the captain, "please consider what you say. There is wheat enough here to feed
a city! If you have no use for it, then give it to the poor and hungry. After all, you too may
someday be in need!"

"I?" shrieked the Lady. "In need?"

She plucked from her finger a ruby ring and held it high. "This ring will return to my hand before
I am ever in need!"

With all her might, she flung it far into the harbor.

The captain stared at the Lady on the dock, her face red with rage. Then he called to his men.

"Cast off!"

When the ship reached the harbor mouth, the captain ordered his men to shovel all the wheat
overboard. Then he sailed from the harbor, never to return.

The next day, the Lady held a grand feast for all the richest merchants of Stavoren. She spared
no expense, to show that she still had every cause for pride.

A huge roast fish was set before her for carving. As she was about to cut into it, the Lady
noticed a glint from something in the fish's mouth. She pulled out the object and held it up.

The diners gasped. The Lady turned pale.

It was the ruby ring.

A few weeks later, fishermen found that a sand bar was building beneath the water at the
harbor's mouth. The discarded wheat had sprouted and grown, and was catching the sand that
before had drifted freely.

Soon, the tall ships could not enter. The harbor was ruined, and with it went the fortunes of the
city. Many of the merchants lost everything.

Among them was the Lady of Stavoren.

Today, Stavoren is known mainly as a ferry landing. The sand bar that keeps tall ships from the
harbor is still called "Lady's Sand" -- a reminder how the Lady of Stavoren scorned the most
precious thing in the world.